Qjiang QJ600GS / Benelli BJ600GS - rumors thread

[tomtom]

Did two Benelli 600 test rides--some comments below. In short: bella macchina!!! :-)))

A dual-sport driver said in a previous report "No bite, just bark"--well then, it's a nice bark to me :-)

Very agile engine, but engine was brand-new (just 30 km), so I did not cross 7,000 (the red starts at 13,000). The engine welcomes the revs, but does not need them. Good punch already at 3,000. Runs very smooth, accelerates without gap or break. Hopefully it will be this smooth also above 7,000.

I was doubtful about the front fork, as it is Qjiang production and cannot be adjusted, but no complain. Fork is smooth and sensitive, also on a bumpy road section, no bottoms-out/snap-through.

No gear indicator, but this bike is for the chase. Listen to the engine for shifting, watch the traffic/competition instead and not the dial :-). Shifting is smooth, easy and exact--cannot confirm other forum member's remark about inaccurate gearbox reaction. Maybe it is better to shift quickly and to not confuse the gearbox with sedate action...;-)? Left foot's position with shifting level simply fits and shifting is easy. Shifting is a joy indeed. Finally, the being used to directions again: Up for up and down for down :-). And, the bikes just accelerates and accelerates at full throttle with gapless performance and without any sudden power peaks or breaks. I hardly hit 7,000 revs, so gear shift followed gear shift quickly and so did releasing and pulling the throttle. But each action fluidly fitted with the next, no sudden revs up due to a missed gear or other, maybe even dangerous, annoyances.

I do not feel comortable enough with the bike to emergency brake, but I braked hard. Front brakes are very good, the Metzler tire did not block and the bike slowed down drastically--one might need to watch the mirrors to avoid cars bumping into the bike, as their brakes might not be so strong ;-) Rear brake did not block the wheel, but I wasn't riding solo, so I avoided to block the wheel. And, I also did not try to check how good rear brake would help stabalizing the bike when braking at the limit.

Bike geometry is for Western-drivers. I am 190cm and I wanted to know if I feel comfortable also when riding a bit longer. And yes, I do feel comfortable! Leg position and knee-angle can easily create tension on some bikes (peg position and distance to the seat are crucial here). On the Benelli, angle is acceptable and I have a good connection to the tank. The forward leaning position could reduce the wind pressure at high(er) speed, but makes driving a bit strenuous in town.

Shape of the handlebar does not allow a big range of adjustments. Its quality and look seems a bit cheap, but, imho, other Benelli bikes do also not score with their handlebar optics. Mirrors did not vibrate. That makes them usable, even so they are not very large. I like the position of the high beam switch--it can be pushed with the index finger. Tachometer is analog, quite big and at the dominant position in the middle of the instrument block. Revs can be read very easy, tacho does not vibrate. Spedo is digital, position to the right of the tacho, partly covering it. Spedo also shows other info like fuel amount, total kilometers, trip kilometers (I guess). Readabiliy? Not sure, dark grey on lighter grey at daylight. Forgot to read spedo when driving. Btw, speed sensor location is at the rear wheel and was not attached on the test bike (they taped the sensor to the rear swinging fork). Then spedo shows "0" and does not count the milage. I am not sure how easily the sensor can be attaced and detached, but this could become a subject when buying a used bike (?).

Sound is great/best when standing at the red light and playing with the throttle. A bit of a sewing machine when driving, but still nice.

Build-quality exceeds Chinese standard by far. Looks like its is assembled with dedication, if not with love (that's what I would expect from an Italian mechanic :-). Nearly all screws hexagon sockets, important screws with position marker. Paintwork without flaw. If I would see this bike in a bike shop in Italy, it would not come to my mind that is "MiC"--best I saw from Chinese bike production till today.

Delivery time (May 2012) is three month.